At A Glance

Lyndhurst Foundation

517 E. 5th St.
Chattanooga, TN 37403-1826
Telephone: (423) 756-0767
Contact: Benic M. Clark III, Pres.
Fax: (423) 756-0770
URL: www.lyndhurstfoundation.org

Type of Grantmaker

Independent foundation

IRS Exemption Status

501(c)(3)

Additional Descriptor

Family foundation====Financial Data====
(yr. ended 12/31/09)
Assets: $194,388,983
Total giving: $9,634,207

EIN

626044177

990-PF

2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 20022001
The IRS has announced processing errors on electronically filed Forms 990 for filing years 2007-2009. Learn More»



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E-mail for proposals: Krudolph@lyndhurstfoundation.org


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Grants List


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Note: If a donor is deceased, the symbol (‡) follows the name.
T. Cartter Lupton‡

Central Shares Corp.


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Incorporated in 1938 in DE.
The Lyndhurst Foundation had its beginnings in the broad local and regional philanthropic activities of Thomas Cartter Lupton, a pioneer in the Coca-Cola bottling business. First organized in 1938 as the Memorial Welfare Foundation these activities continued and expanded after Mr. Lupton's death in 1977, when the foundation changed its name to Lyndhurst, a reference to the family home in Chattanooga. At that time the foundation leadership passed into the hands of Mr. Lupton's son, John T. Lupton, and Lyndhurst began to focus its attention upon primary health care, elementary and secondary education, and art and cultural activities

In the mid-1980s the foundation redirected its energies almost entirely toward Chattanooga's effort to revitalize its downtown and riverfront, to enhance its arts and cultural life, and to improve its schools and its natural environment. In 1992, with the retirement of Mr. Lupton from the board of the foundation and the election of his children and his nephews as trustees, Lyndhurst once again set new priorities, centered around the enhancement and enrichment of the social, natural, and built environment of Chattanooga and the surrounding region

The foundation announced its first major organizational change since its founding more than 70 years ago, spinning $50 million of its assets in order to leverage the creation of five new foundations, representing the five branches within the third generation of the descendants of Cartter Lupton who are active in the Foundation's governance. The intention of the Lyndhurst trustees is to match $50 million of new philanthropic assets being gifted by family members, thereby creating five new foundations with combined assets of $100 million.

This spin-off will leave the remaining Lyndhurst Foundation centered in Chattanooga, but it will no longer be a family foundation governed by the descendants of Cartter Lupton, with that mantle being passed collectively to the five new entities. Additionally, all eight of the current trustees of Lyndhurst will step down in early 2012, enabling a new group to guide the next phase of the foundation's work.

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Giving limited to the southeastern U.S., with emphasis on Chattanooga, TN.
No support for political organizations.
No grants to individuals.

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The mission of the foundation is the ongoing revitalization of the Chattanooga area and the conservation of the region surrounding it. Through its funding and partnerships, the foundation will focus on the following six goals: 1) Sustain and strengthen the downtown core as the center of employment, culture institutions, entertainment; maintain appeal to visitors, while accelerating growth in the resident population; 2) Promote urban neighborhoods of choice with rising real estate values, growing population, and favorable social condition; 3) Strengthen the momentum for public education reform that yields higher academic performance throughout the community, while closing the academic gap now linked to race and class; 4) Foster a thriving arts community that has great variety, broad participation, high quality and strong financial support; 5) Bolster the community's identification with green spaces and outdoor recreation, while strengthening Chattanooga's position as a gateway to regional environmental assets and attractions; and 6) Conserve, protect, and restore the region's premier natural assets.

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The grantmaker has identified the following area(s) of interest:
Employee Matching Gifts Program
The foundation matches employee gifts to charitable organizations.

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Subjects
Arts

Community/economic development

Elementary school/education

Environment

Housing/shelter, development

Secondary school/education

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Tennessee

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Building/renovation

Capital campaigns

Continuing support

Employee matching gifts

General/operating support

Land acquisition

Matching/challenge support

Program development

Seed money

Technical assistance

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Annual report (including application guidelines)

Financial statement

Grants list

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Through 2011, grants will be distributed primarily at the initiative of the foundation through the cultivation of strategic partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Application form not required. Applicants should submit the following:
  1. Copy of IRS Determination Letter
  2. Descriptive literature about organization
  3. Listing of board of directors, trustees, officers and other key people and their affiliations
  4. Detailed description of project and amount of funding requested
  5. Copy of current year's organizational budget and/or project budget
Initial approach: Letter (no more than 3 pages)

Copies of proposal: 1

Board meeting date(s): Feb., May, Aug., and Nov.

Deadline(s): Jan., July, Mar., and Sept.; telephone foundation for actual dates

Final notification: 3 months

Additional information: Grant requests are reviewed and researched by the foundation's staff before presentation to the board of trustees. The staff requests personal interviews with some applicants as part of their preparation for board meetings. Grant recipients are required to submit annual reports of their activities and expenditures.


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Note: An asterisk (*) following an individual's name indicates an officer who is also a trustee or director.
Allen L. McCallie,* Chairperson

Affiliation(s):

Tonya Memorial Foundation, Secretary

Benic M. Clark, III, President and Treasurer
Margaret Stakely, Controller
Nelson D. Campbell
George R. Fontaine
Margaret L. Gerber
Katherine Crossland Juett
T. Cartter Lupton, II
Lasley Thomas Montague
Alice L. Smith

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Number of Staff
4 full-time professional

1 full-time support

Key Staff

Note: Does not include officers.
Sarah Morgan, Program Officer
Karen Rudolph, Program Officer


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Regional Associations of Grantmakers
Southeastern Council of Foundations
Affinity Groups
Consultative Group on Biodiversity

Grantmakers for Education

Neighborhood Funders Group
Associations and Other Philanthropic Organizations
Council on Foundations

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Year ended 12/31/09:
Assets: $194,388,983 (market value)

Expenditures: $11,122,863

Total giving: $9,634,207

Qualifying distributions: $10,648,517

Giving activities include:

$9,634,207 for 101 grants (high: $1,875,000; low: $1,000)


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County: Hamilton

Metropolitan area: Chattanooga, TN-GA

Congressional district: Tennessee District 3


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The following grants were reported in 2008:
$1,500,000 to Chattanooga-Hamilton County Public Education Fund, Chattanooga, TN. For Middle Schools for a New Society initiative in partnership with Hamilton County Department of Education, payable over 1 year.
$1,500,000 to Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. For 21st Century Waterfront Trust project, payable over 1 year.
$1,000,000 to Open Space Conservancy, New York, NY. To advance implementation of State Wildlife Actions Plan (SWAPs) and related wildlife and habitat conservation activities in focus areas of Western North Carolina and Northwest Georgia, payable over 1 year.
$450,000 to Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. For CreateHere Initiative, payable over 1 year.
$300,000 to Tennessee River Gorge Natural Areas Trust, Chattanooga, TN. To purchase conservation easement on 308-acre Stolpmann tract, located adjacent to Williams Island on Elder Mountain, payable over 1 year.
$150,000 to River City Company, Chattanooga, TN. For storefront and facade improvement on Main Street, payable over 1 year.
$75,000 to Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. To cover recruitment and hiring expenses for SIM Center, payable over 1 year.
$72,600 to Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies, Chattanooga, TN. For Better Teachers, Smarter Schools project, payable over 1 year.
$35,000 to Open Space Institute, New York, NY. For renewed support of Southern Appalachian Conservation Loan Fund, payable over 1 year.
$25,000 to South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC. To reduce operating deficit, payable over 1 year.
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